Cosmetic adhesive compositions

ABSTRACT

Single phase cosmetic adhesive compositions that are flexible and resistant to water below a selected temperature, 43° C. for example. The adhesive compositions wear well, are smudge and flake resistant, as well as oil resistant, making them very suitable for long wear without adhesive failure. Adhesive compositions according to the invention comprise specific combinations of acrylates/VA copolymer and acrylates copolymer in a cosmetically acceptable base or delivery vehicle. Adhesive compositions according to the invention are hydrophilic and easily removed when scrubbed with water above a certain temperature, but not as easily removed with water below that temperature. The adhesive compositions are easy to manufacture, flexible and comfortable, and suitable for use on skin, lips, hair and nails, particularly to secure strips of false eyelashes and eyebrows, as well as individual lash and brow extensions. Cosmetic adhesives of the present invention may also be used to affix glitter or extensions to skin, hair, lips, or nails, and other cosmetic products to keratinic surfaces.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is in the field of cosmetic adhesives, such as maybe used to secure strips of false eyelashes and eyebrows, as well asindividual lash and brow extensions. Cosmetic adhesives of the presentinvention may also be used to affix glitter to skin, hair or lips, nailextensions, and other cosmetic products to keratinic surfaces.

BACKGROUND

The use of cosmetic treatments that require an adhesive, such as falseeyelashes, false eyebrows, false nails and glitter is well established.Also, the use of adhesives in the theater, such as for securing a wig orrubber mask or for affixing an appliance to the skin, is well known.Those adhesives that are more effective at providing long term adhesionwithout premature failure usually require a complimentary cleanser toremove the adhesive. Sometimes, even with a cleanser, the task oflifting adhesive off of the skin can be very difficult, requiring aharsh abrasive action and multiple washings.

In use, a cosmetic adhesive, may not be visible if the article beingaffixed covers up the adhesive. At other times, the adhesive may bevisible. For example, when using an adhesive to secure false eyelashes,some of the adhesive will be visible after the application is made.Depending on the desired look, this may or may not be beneficial. Eitherway, an adhesive that can be formulated to achieve the desired lookwould be advantageous. For example, to blend in or to stand out, theadhesive may be pigmented.

Also, in some applications, it may be advantageous to for the visibleadhesive to have a high shine, but that introduces a host of problemsthat are associated with developing glossy color cosmetics. For example,in general, high shine cosmetic products tend to have little stayingpower on the skin. Flaking and smudging are common problems with highshine products, unless measures are taken that would not be necessaryfor non-glossy products. One such measure has been the use of filmforming agents in the color composition. Such materials provide acertain level of gloss and staying power, but that gloss is proportionalto the amount of film former used. If too much film former is needed toachieve a level of gloss, then the product will be hard, which makes itsubject to cracking, and difficult to remove with water alone. Also,hard films can cause discomfort to the wearer. Another issue is that, infilm-forming systems, there tends to be a loss of color intensity, truecolor and/or shine as the solvent evaporates (that is, the compositiondoes not “wear” well). Also, achieving compatibility betweenfilm-formers and shine-boosting components, while avoiding stabilityissues, such as syneresis, has not been a simple task. These issues, aswell as the relatively high cost of film-former ingredients, tend tolimit the amount of film forming agents that can be used in cosmeticcompositions, and limit the level of gloss and color intensity that canbe achieved. These problems are further exacerbated by other consumerproduct demands that must be addressed. These include: perfect adhesiveperformance for hours at a time, coupled with easy removal from theskin, flexibility of the product on the skin to avoid cracking, oradhesive failure, and the ability of coloring agents to show through abase to give a true color.

There is, therefore, still a need for high shine, pigmented, cosmeticadhesive compositions that meet these, and other, consumer demands. Itwill be especially advantageous to provide high gloss cosmetic adhesivecompositions that offer long wear without adhesive failure, reducedflaking, reduced smudging and true color, as well as easy removal withwarm water. The present invention provides such compositions.

Cosmetic compositions that comprise acrylates polymers have typicallybeen provided in the form of emulsions containing oils, surfactants,and/or emulsifiers or anhydrous formulations containing volatilecomponents such as oils or alcohols. For example, U.S. Pat. No.7,323,162 discloses silicone in water emulsions that comprises a waterphase, an oil phase, and two kinds of film formers (a water-soluble, oilresistant film former, such as Covacryl A15 or E14, and an oil soluble(water resistant) film former, at least one of which is a particularsilicone-modified acrylates copolymer. The compositions further includea surfactant which is specifically adapted to stabilize silicone inwater emulsions.

In contrast, co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 8,932,570 disclosestransfer-resistant, single phase aqueous cosmetic compositions. Thecompositions consist essentially of 1%-95% of a water-soluble,film-forming acrylates copolymer and 1%-60% of a water-solubleplasticizer for the copolymer, and, optionally, 1%-20% pigment. Theacrylates copolymer, consists essentially of a monomer selected from thegroup consisting of acrylic acid and methacrylic acid and a co-monomerselected from the group consisting of alkyl and alkoxyl acrylates andalkyl and alkoxyl methacrylates. The plasticizer may be selected frompolyether derivatives, polyoxypropylene derivatives, glycol and glycolderivatives and glycerin and glycerin derivatives, and combinationsthereof. The compositions contain no oils, waxes, surfactants oremulsifiers, are water- and oil-resistant upon drying on the skin, andexhibit high gloss and long-wear and transfer-resistant properties. Whenthese compositions contain pigments, they also demonstrate high colorintensity. The compositions are useful as eyeliner, mascara, lip gloss,and lip liner. In contrast with two phase oil and water emulsionsystems, these compositions are less complex and less costly toformulate, requiring only a single aqueous phase, and no oils,surfactants, or emulsifiers. Additionally, these compositions may beformulated with a single type of water-soluble film former.Nevertheless, U.S. Pat. No. 8,932,570 fails to disclose a cosmeticadhesive composition comprising 20% to 30% of acrylates/VA copolymer and0.5% to 2.5% of acrylates copolymer as disclosed herein. Nor does itdisclose ratios of these materials as disclosed herein, nor theirusefulness. The relevance of a minimum water temperature combined withshear to remove the adhesive compositions from the skin, lips, hair ornails is not disclosed. How to adjust an adhesive composition to have aset minimum water temperature for removal is neither disclosed norsuggested.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides cosmetic adhesive compositions that areflexible and resistant to water below 43° C. The adhesive compositionsmay be formulated with or without pigments and may or may not displayhigh shine. The adhesive compositions wear well, are smudge and flakeresistant, as well as oil resistant, making them very suitable as highshine, long wear cosmetics. Adhesive compositions according to theinvention comprise specific combinations of acrylates/VA copolymer andacrylates copolymer in a cosmetically acceptable base or deliveryvehicle. The adhesive compositions according to the invention arehydrophilic and easily removed when scrubbed with water above a certaintemperature, but not as easily removed with water below thattemperature. The compositions are easy to manufacture, flexible andcomfortable, and suitable for use on skin, lips, hair and nails.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Except in operating and comparative examples, or where otherwiseexplicitly indicated, all numbers in this description indicating amountsor ratios of material or conditions of reaction, physical properties ofmaterials and/or use are to be understood as modified by the word“about.” All amounts are presented as percentages by weight of the finalcomposition, unless otherwise specified.

Throughout the present specification, “film former” or the like refersto a polymer leaves a film on the substrate to which it is applied, forexample, after a solvent accompanying the film former has evaporated,absorbed into and/or dissipated on the substrate.

“Transfer resistant” means that compositions of the invention are notreadily removed by contact with another material, such as clothing orwater. Transfer resistance may be evaluated by any method known in theart. For example, a composition may be evaluated based on the amount ofproduct transferred from the skin, lips, hair or nails of a wearer toany other substrate, such as clothing. For example, a composition may betransfer resistant if a majority of the product is left on the wearer'sskin or hair. Further, the amount transferred may be compared with thattransferred by other compositions, such as commercially availablecompositions. In preferred embodiments of the present invention, littleor no adhesive composition is transferred from the skin, lips, hair ornails to another substrate.

“True color” compositions are those in which the color of the appliedcomposition, after a period of time, remains the same or substantiallythe same as at the time of application to the skin or hair.

Compositions, including adhesive compositions, that maintain colorintensity, true color and degree of shine after the solvent evaporatesare said to exhibit “good wear” or “long wear”.

A “flexible” composition is one that when applied to the skin or hairfor its intended use, does not crack or flake for a defined period oftime, such as four hours or eight hours of wear. If a composition is notadequately flexible, then it is “rigid”.

“Water resistant” means that a composition deposited on the skin, lips,hair or nails, after it has been allowed to dry or cure, does notdissolve or re-wet or absorb moisture or be otherwise adversely affectedby the water.

By “single phase” it is intended that the adhesive composition is in astable homogeneous form rather than in the form of a heterogeneouswater-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion.

“Comprising” and the like, mean that a list of elements may not belimited to those explicitly recited.

Acrylates/VA Copolymer

A first main ingredient of the invention is acrylates/VA copolymer (INCIname), C₁₅H₂₆O₄, also known as ethenyl acetate or 2-ethylhexylprop-2-enoate (IUPAC names); CAS number 25067-02-1. For detailedinformation, see PubChem Compound Database; CID=168269.

In cosmetics, this material often functions as a binder, film former,adhesive and/or hair fixative. When deployed in aqueous cosmetic systemsacrylates/VA copolymer can impart a film on the skin or hair. The pureacrylates/VA copolymer film features a temperature dependence, such thata water rinse of about 40° C. or more will degrade the film, and allowit to be removed from a surface, while retaining its integrity attemperatures at or below normal skin temperature (i.e. 36.5-37.5° C.).

Adhesive compositions of the invention typically comprise 20% to 30% ofacrylates/VA copolymer by total weight of the composition, for example23% to 28%, for example 25% to 26% by total weight of the composition.When levels below about 20% are used, the compositions do notdemonstrate good wear, and the degree of shine may suffer. At levelsabove about 30%, the resulting compositions are too rigid, lackingflexibility.

Acrylates/VA copolymer is commercially available, for example, asVinysol 2140L from Daido Chemical Corp. Vinysol 2140L is a 46.6% aqueousmixture of acrylates/VA copolymer. Therefore, when using Vinysol 2140L,in order to achieve the concentrations of acrylates/VA copolymer notedabove, the concentration of Vinysol 2140L should be about 43% to 64%,for example 50%-60%, for example 55% by total weight of the composition.Vinysol 2140L is reported to have a pH of 4.5, a viscosity of 2,000mPa-s, a calculated glass transition temperature (T_(g)) of −9° C.,while the film exhibits a break elongation of 1,200%, and a breakstrength of 1.2 MPa (when spread to a thickness 0.1 mm). The strength ofthe material makes it suitable for thinly applied adhesive cosmeticsthat will not crack or flake easily. However, at the relatively highconcentrations of the present invention, prototype formulations were toorigid to be commercially useful as cosmetic adhesives. The task was toincrease the flexibility of the adhesive composition withoutjeopardizing all of the beneficial properties of the cosmetic system(i.e. tack, break strength, hydrophilicity when wet, hydrophobicity whendry, high gloss, good wear, etc.).

Acrylates Copolymer

To address the problem of high rigidity, the acrylates/VA copolymer wascombined with an acrylates polymer that has a lower T_(g) thanacrylates/VA copolymer. In general, a lower T_(g) provides moreflexibility to the resulting film. It also makes the adhesivecomposition more tacky and have a longer dry time, but in the presentinvention a longer dry time is a good thing. By itself, acrylates/VAcopolymer dries too quickly to be useful as a cosmetic adhesive, wheretime for application, including positioning, re-positioning and groomingis needed. Of course, an adhesive composition that takes more than acouple of minutes to dry is also not commercially viable. In that amountof time, the article being affixed is likely to move out of place. Inthe present invention, to provide a suitable dry time, and the rightamount of flexibility in the dried adhesive composition, a second mainingredient is acrylates copolymer, C₁₄H₂₂O₆, also known as ethylprop-2-enoate; methyl 2-methylprop-2-enoate or 2-methylprop-2-enoic acid(IUPAC names); CAS number 25133-97-5. For detailed information, seePubChem Compound Database; CID=168299. In various types of cosmeticformulations, acrylates copolymer has a wide variety of uses includingas film formers, hair fixatives, binders, and suspending agents,viscosity enhancers, antistatic agents and adhesives. At concentrationsdiscussed herein, the combination of acrylates/VA copolymer andacrylates copolymer has a dry time that is suitable for the cosmeticsconsumer (which we define as one minute or less), while the increase intackiness was not so much as to be unreasonable for consumer use.Furthermore, as noted above, acrylates/VA copolymer films feature atemperature dependence, such that a water rinse of at least about 40° C.will degrade the film, but not below this. In combining acrylates/VAcopolymer with acrylates copolymer at the ratios disclosed herein, itwas noted that the resulting adhesive films exhibit a different minimumtemperature of water that is required to degrade the adhesive.Specifically, the addition of acrylates copolymer tends to increase theminimum temperature of water that is required to degrade the adhesivefilm.

In the present invention, useful concentrations of acrylates copolymerare from 0.5% to 2.5% based on total weight of the composition; forexample 1% to 2%, or, for example 1.5%. At concentrations above about2.5%, the acrylates copolymer becomes disruptive to the performance andstability of the adhesive composition. For example, compositions becometoo sticky for consumer acceptance. Below about 0.5%, and the acrylatescopolymer cannot impart enough flexibility to the final composition,which increases the risk of adhesive failure. Acrylates copolymer iscommercially available, for example, as Daitosol 5000AD from Daito KaseiKogyo Co. Daitosol 5000AD is a 50% aqueous mixture of acrylatescopolymer. Therefore, in order to achieve the concentrations ofacrylates copolymer noted above, the concentration of Daitosol 5000ADshould be about 1% to 5%, for example 2% to 4%, preferably 3% by totalweight of the composition. Daitosol 5000AD is reported to have a pH of5.5-7.5, a viscosity of 50-100 mPa-s, a glass transition temperature(T_(g)) of about −14° C.

Based on the above, we can say that the ratio of the weight ofacrylates/VA copolymer to the weight of acrylates copolymer must be inthe range 8:1 to 60:1, preferably 12:1 to 40:1, more preferably 16:1 to20:1. Furthermore, all weight ratios of acrylates/VA copolymer toacrylates copolymer in between 8:1 and 60:1 are useful, and encompassedby the present invention. These useful ratios include, for example, X:1,where X is any integer from 8 to 60. For example, X may be any integerfrom between 12 and 60, or any integer between 16 and 60. Therefore, oneexample of a useful range of weight ratio of acrylates/VA copolymer toacrylates copolymer is 12:1 to 60:1, and more specifically, 12:1 to40:1. Another useful range is 16:1 to 60:1, and more specifically, 16:1to 40:1. Another useful range is 20:1 to 60:1, and more specifically20:1 to 40:1.

In the United States, typical water temperatures from a home faucet areset not to exceed 120° F. (48.9° C.). Therefore, the certain minimumtemperature should be set between 40° C. and 48.9° C., preferably from42° C. to 46° C., more preferably from 43° C. to 44° C. In variousembodiments of the present invention, the certain minimum temperature isadjusted to be from 43° C. to 44° C. 43° C. to 44° is most preferredbecause it is several degrees warmer than normal, healthy skintemperature (i.e. 36.5-37.5° C.), but not so high as to damage the skinor cause pain. The minimum temperature of 40° C. reported for theVinysol 2140L material, is close to normal skin temperature and may notprovide a consistent experience in consumer use. By using acrylates/VAcopolymer in combination with acrylates copolymer, in the ratiosdisclosed herein, the minimum temperature could be fixed to be more than40° C., preferably 42° to 46° C. to provide more of a margin of error,or better 43° C. to 44° C.

Form of Adhesive Composition and Other Ingredients

Preferred adhesive compositions of the invention are a single aqueousphase, and have no oil or silicone. Adhesive compositions of theinvention may or may not comprise pigments. When the adhesivecompositions comprise pigments, the concentration may range from about0.001% to 30% by weight of the total composition. Greater than about 30%of pigment may introduce an unacceptable level of reduced stabilityand/or reduced adhesive performance of the composition. Therefore,preferred is from 1% to 20% of pigments, more preferred from 1% to 15%of pigments by weight of the total composition, and still more preferredis 2% to 10% of pigments by weight of the total composition.Compositions of the invention may typically comprise from 40% to 65% ofwater by weight of the total composition. This amount of water is thatfrom all sources, such as that in Vinysol 2140L and Daitosol 5000AD.

One advantageous feature of the adhesive compositions of the presentinvention is that they are hydrophilic before and during use, buthydrophobic upon drying. A single phase aqueous cosmetic compositionthat is hydrophilic prior to application, but that transitions tohydrophobic upon drying is unusual. Examples 1 and 2 are single phaseadhesive compositions of the invention, intended to be used in the eyearea, and to blend in with black eyelashes or eyebrows, and blackmascara. The contact angle of the composition of Example 1 was measuredbefore and after drying. Prior to drying, the adhesive compositions washydrophilic. Upon drying, the adhesive composition of Example 1exhibited a contact angle of 42 degrees, which indicates hydrophobicity.This is an unusual dry state for an aqueous, single phase cosmeticadhesive.

Example 1 Example 2 Ingredient % Concentration ¹Vinysol 2140L 60.00 60.0²Daitosol 5000AD 3.00 1.0 xanthan gum 0.21 0.21 ³Distinctive ® Ink BlackChip AQ 3.90 6.2 ⁴preservative system 1.22 1.1 caustic soda 30% 0.22 0.3SD alcohol 3.00 3.0 water Q.S. Q.S. ¹46.6% aqueous mixture ofacrylates/VA copolymer. ²50% aqueous mixture of acrylates copolymer.³Black 2 (and) Polyester-5 (and) PVP (and) Laureth-4 (40% carbon black).⁴phenoxyethanol 0.80%, phenylethyl alcohol 0.21%, chloroxylenol 0.21%⁵phenoxyethanol 0.70%, phenylethyl alcohol 0.20%, chloroxylenol 0.20%

The ability to formulate in an aqueous, hydrophilic state that dries toa hydrophobic state (while having other beneficial properties describedherein) is a great advantage of the present invention. While theadhesive composition is in a first or hydrophilic state, the ability toformulate with water soluble ingredients is enhanced, and application ofthe cosmetic adhesive is easier and feels nicer. When dried to a secondor hydrophobic state, the applied adhesive resists breakdown frommoisture in the skin and atmosphere.

It may be noted that Vinysol 2140L (acrylates/VA copolymer) has thisproperty of being hydrophilic in a first state and drying to becomehydrophobic in a second state. However, it was not a foregone conclusionthat the final adhesive compositions would retain this property, nor wasit a trivial task to achieve this property in the final adhesivecomposition. Also, it does not seem that this property has beenexploited as we have done. At a minimum, the invention includes adhesivecompositions that comprise a significant amount of Vinysol 2140L (atleast about 43%) while avoiding ingredients in the composition thatwould prevent a wet hydrophilic composition from drying to a hydrophobicstate, while also delivering long wear, transfer resistance, and, whereintended, high shine. Adhesive compositions of the present invention doall of this.

To achieve sufficient hydrophilicity in the first state, the use ofhydrophobic materials should be limited to less than about 0.5% based ontotal weight of the adhesive composition; preferably less than 0.25%.Materials that are partly hydrophilic and partly hydrophobic couldpossibly exceed these limits, based on the performance of the finalcomposition. In some embodiments of the invention, it is preferable ifthe adhesive composition comprises no hydrophobic ingredients, such ashydrophobic oils or waxes. Oils are organic substances that are liquidat ambient temperature, such as esters, triglycerides, hydrocarbons andsilicones. A typical wax used in cosmetic compositions is carnauba wax.In some embodiments of the invention, it is most preferable if thecompositions contain no hydrophobic oils or waxes. Nevertheless, upondrying to a film, the film clearly exhibits hydrophobicity, making itresistant to water. However, unlike anything disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.8,932,570, the dried compositions of the present invention may be easilywashed off with water at or above that certain minimum temperature andan application of shear. Both shear and a certain minimum watertemperature are needed to remove the adhesive composition from the skin,lips, hair or nails. For example, when the dried adhesive is exposed towater at or above a certain minimum temperature, the adhesiveexperiences a breakdown in structure, but does not otherwise dissolve inthe applied water, so that the adhesive remains on the keratinicsurface. Likewise, when the dried adhesive is exposed to shear (in theform of a typical vigorous scrubbing action), without water or withwater below a certain minimum temperature, the adhesive remains inplace, having excellent adhesion to the skin, lips, hair or nails.Furthermore, the adhesive maintains its high degree of shine, true colorand color intensity, making it especially appropriate as a cosmeticadhesive. To effect the removal of the adhesive composition from theskin, lips, hair or nails, both shear (in the form of a typical vigorousscrubbing action) and water above a certain minimum temperature must beapplied to the adhesive in order to lift it off of the keratinicsurface. This means that adhesive compositions of the invention can beworn for long periods without adhesive failure. It also means thatadhesive compositions of the invention have excellent smudge or transferresistance.

Various ingredients may be included in the adhesive compositions to finetune the consumer experience or enhance the performance of thecomposition. Alcohols, for example, may be useful to speed up dryingafter application to the skin. Amounts of alcohol up to 5% may beuseful. The adhesive compositions may also comprise preservatives asneeded, typically up to about 2% by weight of the composition. Also,thickeners, viscosity decreasing agents, and/or pH adjusters may be usedas needed to create a consumer acceptable product, typically at levelsof less than 1% by weight of the composition. At these levels, theforegoing named ingredients do not seem to adversely affect the cosmeticand commercial properties of the adhesive.

Glycols, also known as diols (chemical compounds comprising two hydroxylgroups) are optional, but sometimes useful in the present invention.Glycols, such as 1,3-propanediol, might typically be used in cosmeticsto enhance the freeze-thaw stability of the composition. However, whenpresent glycols may also affect the certain minimum temperature belowwhich the dried composition cannot be easily removed from the skin,lips, hair or nails. Where acrylates copolymer tends to increase thecertain minimum temperature, glycols tend to decrease it. Therefore, theuse of glycols should be avoided, or at least limited to no more than 4%of total glycols, preferably, less than 1% of total glycols, morepreferably less than 0.5% of total glycols. Most preferred is 0% glycols(as in Examples 1 and 2 above), especially when acceptable freeze-thawstability is achievable without glycols. Furthermore, preferred adhesivecompositions of the invention comprise no other ingredient in an amountsufficient to plasticize the acrylates/VA copolymer. This is unlike U.S.Pat. No. 8,932,570 where water-soluble plasticizer, which may be glycol,must be present in the composition in an amount sufficient toplasticize.

Another main concern of the cosmetic composition is that it should avoidoptical interference effects in the dried state. That is one reason forproviding the adhesive as a single phase aqueous composition, asemulsions tend to be cloudy or milky. Since emulsions are excluded, itis preferable for surfactants and emulsifiers to be avoided, or onlypresent incidentally, in trace amounts. If present in the aqueousadhesive compositions of the invention, any material which demonstratesemulsifier or surfactant properties will have an HLB of less than 12.Therefore, based on total weight of the composition, it is preferable ifthe adhesive composition comprises no more than 3% of surfactants and/oremulsifiers, more preferably no surfactants or emulsifiers.

Further to avoiding optical interference effects in the dried adhesivefilm, it is preferable if the adhesive composition comprises no clayparticles or undissolved particulate material of any kind at a levelthat would interfere with the adhesion and/or shine of the driedcosmetic composition. At a minimum, the concentration of clay particlesor undissolved particulate material must be limited to a level that doesnot prevent a desired level of adhesion and/or shine in the dried film.Preferably, adhesive compositions of the invention comprise no more than0.25% of clay particles or undissolved particulate material, morepreferably no clay particles or undissolved particulate material.

Polyurethane tends to make compositions very rigid, and will alter thecertain minimum temperature of water required for removal of the filmfrom the skin or hair. Therefore, it is preferred if adhesivecompositions of the invention comprise a total of no more than 0.5% ofpolyurethane. More preferably, adhesive compositions of the inventioncomprise a total of no more than 0.001% of polyurethane. Mostpreferably, adhesive compositions of the invention comprise nopolyurethane.

Agents that significantly interfere with the structure of the driedadhesive film will alter the certain minimum temperature of waterrequired for removal of the film from the skin, lips, hair or nails, aswell degrade the tackiness, shine or color. Therefore, it is preferredif adhesive compositions of the invention comprise a total of no morethan 0.5% of structuring agents, such as Carbopol®, wax, clay (such asbentonite) or stearic acid. More preferably, adhesive compositions ofthe invention comprise a total of no more than 0.001% of structuringagents. Most preferably, adhesive compositions of the invention compriseno structuring agents. A useful exception to this rule is sodiumstearate. Unlike many structuring agents, sodium stearate is partlyhydrophilic, which makes it suitable for an aqueous system. Althoughsodium stearate is partly hydrophobic, its use has not appeared tocompromise the objectives of the present invention. This makes itespecially useful in embodiments of the present invention when astructuring agent may be needed. Sodium stearate may be used as astructuring agent up to 4% by weight of the total adhesive composition,More than that amount will begin to disrupt the acrylic bond strengthwhich translates to less water resistance.

Solids that do not dissolve in the aqueous adhesive compositions of thepresent invention should also be minimized or avoided altogether, asthey alter the certain minimum temperature of water required for removalof the film from the skin, lips, hair or nails, as well degrade theshine.

The following non-limiting examples illustrate additional embodiments ofthe invention.

EXAMPLES 3-5

Example 3 Example 4 Example 5 Phase Ingredient % Concentration 1 sodiumstearate C-7 4.0 2 ¹Vinysol 2140L 55.0 60.0 47.4 2 ²Daitosol 5000AD 2.03.0 2.5 3 1,3-propanediol 4.0 4.0 4.0 4 ³Distinctive ® Ink 3.9 BlackChip AQ 4 pigments 20.0 12.0 5 ⁴preservative 0.8 0.9 0.4 6 xanthan gum0.3 0.3 0.4 7 caustic soda 30% 0.2 0.2 0.2 8 SD alcohol 3.0 3.0 3.6water Q.S. Q.S. Q.S. ¹46.6% aqueous mixture of acrylates/VA copolymer.²50% aqueous mixture of acrylates copolymer. ³Black 2 (and) Polyester-5(and) PVP (and) Laureth-4 (40% carbon black). ⁴phenoxyethanol 80%;chloroxylenol 20%.

The procedure for preparing the adhesive compositions is simple, and asfollows.

-   1. Mix and dissolve the acrylates/VA copolymer and acrylates    copolymer in a portion of water (this step may be omitted when    working with these materials already supplied solution; i.e Vinysol    2140L and Daitosol 5000AD).-   2. Stepwise, add the remaining ingredients, mixing well to achieve a    uniform mass.

Sometimes, but not always, the degree of gloss or shine of a cosmeticadhesive according to the present invention may be important from aconsumer point of view. The gloss of the adhesive compositions shown inExamples 2 and 4 was measured with a gloss meter (reflectometer).Measurements were taken a two angles of reflection, 20° and 60°, on awhite background and on a black background, for a total of fourmeasurements. A percent reflectance of 10%-70% indicates a semi-glossappearance, while more than 70% indicates a glossy appearance. The fourgloss measurements of Example 2 ranged from 42.5 to 77.2. At 60°reflected angle, the readings were 75.14 and 77.2, both indicating aglossy appearance. The four gloss measurements of Example 4 ranged from41.7 to 82.8. At 60° reflected angle, the readings were 81.3 and 82.8,both indicating a glossy appearance.

Conventional methods of using adhesive compositions of the invention maybe employed. For example, to apply a strip of false eyelashes, anadhesive composition of the invention should be applied to the edge ofthe strip with an appropriate applicator, such as a brush or sponge.Alternatively, the adhesive composition could be dispensed from asqueeze tube, through an ophthalmic tip orifice directly onto theeyelash strip. Thereafter, the strip should be position on the eyelidwithin less than about one minute, by which time at least some of theadhesive will have dried, and repositioning the false eyelash strip willbe impractical. Alternatively, the adhesive could be applied directly tothe eyelid, and then the strip should be position on the eyelid withinless than about one minute.

As described herein, the combination of acrylates/VA copolymer andacrylates copolymer are used to form cosmetic adhesives that will notfail, crack or flake easily, while not being too stiff for commercialacceptance. The adhesive compositions exhibit long wear while performingvery well in terms of smudging, flaking and high gloss. The compositionshave very good break strength and flexibility, are hydrophilic when wet,but hydrophobic when dry. Once applied, the adhesive compositions dry inabout one minute or less, exhibit long, smudge free wear, and can beremoved easily with water above a certain minimum temperature, such as43° C. for example, and scrubbing, but not so easily with water belowthat temperature, which reduces unwanted transfer and smudging. Evenscrubbing with water just one degree below the certain minimumtemperature is ineffective to remove thoroughly dried adhesive from theskin, lips, hair or nails.

Adhesive compositions of the invention are single phase,transfer-resistant, water based products that provide excellent tack,and if desires, vibrant color with a mirror-like shine. Preferredadhesive compositions comprise no more than 0.5% of hydrophobicmaterials, no more than 4% glycol, no more than 3% of surfactants andemulsifiers, no more than 0.25% of clay particles or undissolvedparticulate material, no more than 0.5% of polyurethane. More preferredcompositions comprise no hydrophobic materials, no glycol, nosurfactants or emulsifiers, no clay particles or undissolved particulatematerial, and no polyurethane. Once applied, the adhesive driesrelatively quickly, but provides enough time to complete the intendedcosmetic treatment. The adhesive provides all day wear with nosignificant failure or smudging in normal and intended use, and removeseasily with water of a specified minimum temperature and scrubbing.

What is claimed is:
 1. A single phase, aqueous cosmetic adhesivecomposition comprising, by total weight of the composition: 20% to 30%of acrylates/VA copolymer; 0.5% to 2.5% of acrylates copolymer; whereinthe ratio of the acrylates/VA copolymer to the acrylates copolymer is inthe range of 12:1 to 60:1; 40% to 65% of water; no more than 0.5% ofhydrophobic oils or waxes; no more than 4% glycol; no more than 3% ofsurfactants and emulsifiers; no more than 0.25% of clay particles orundissolved particulate material; and no more than 0.5% of polyurethane.2. The adhesive composition of claim 1 having no hydrophobic oils orwaxes.
 3. The adhesive composition of claim 1 having no surfactants oremulsifiers.
 4. The adhesive composition of claim 1 having no clayparticles or undissolved particulate material.
 5. The adhesivecomposition of claim 1 having no polyurethane.
 6. The adhesivecomposition of claim 1 having less than 0.5% glycol.
 7. The adhesivecomposition of claim 1 having no hydrophobic oils or waxes, nosurfactants or emulsifiers, no clay particles or undissolved particulatematerial, and no polyurethane.
 8. The adhesive composition of claim 1having no glycol.
 9. The adhesive composition of claim 1 having noingredient in an amount sufficient to plasticize all of the acrylates/VAcopolymer.
 10. The adhesive composition of claim 1 having 0.001% to 30%of pigments, by weight of the total composition.